PODICEPS CRISTATITS, CRESTED GREBE. 729 



A. Large ; length, over 15 inches. Bill more or less uearly equaling the 



head or tarsus in length. 



1. Crests, and especially ruffs, long and conspicuous. Neck with- 



out red or gray in front ; under parts pure silky white. Tar- 

 sus averaging equal to the middle toe without its claw ctiatatus. 



2. Crests moderate; ruffs iucousjiicuous. Neck with red or gray 



in front; underparts watered with dusky (sometimes but 

 slightly). Tarsus averaging less than the middle toe and 

 claw (jrise'ujtna var. lioIbuIU. 



B. Small; length, under 15 inches. Bill much shorter than head; little 



over half the tarsus. 



3. Bill compressed, higher than broad at the nostrils. Crests and 



ruffs very conspicuous ; neck red in front cornutus, 



4. Bill depressed, broader than high at the nostrils. Crests in form 



of auricular tufts ; neck black in front aurilus var. californicus. 



In 1862 I adopted an aralysis of this section, resting primarily upon the shortness 

 of the tarsus iu redataithijia ((ffrheigena) as contrasted with its greater length rela- 

 tively to the toes in cristatus, cornutus, and auritus. This holds good with typical grisei- 

 geiiu, but is subject to some uncertainty of determination iu its application to the 

 American A-ar. liolhoUl or " cooperi," as I now lind upon examination of further material. 

 It is also practically difficult to establish a division upon this basis, not only because 

 the limits of iudivitlual variability are wide, but because different methods of measur- 

 ing the peculiarly-sha])ed feet of these birds give different results. The subject is 

 discussed further on. Meanwhile, the foregoing is presented as a more convenient 

 analysis, since it is probably available for deteruiiuation of young as well as old birds. 



rODICEPS CRISTATUS, (Linn.) Lath. 

 Crested Grebe. 



Cohjmlus crisiaius, Li.nn., Syst. Nat. i, 1766, 222.— Natjm., V. D. ix, 183S, 6S6, pi. 242.— 

 GloCxER, J. f. O. 18156, 285 (albino). 



Fodiceps crialalus, Lath., lud. Orn. ii, 1790, 780. — Temm., Man. 1815, 462. — Boie, Isis, 

 1822, 561.— Steph., Gen. Zool. xiii, 1825, 3.— Keys. & Bi.as,, Wirb. Eur. 1840, 

 fJO.— Macgii.., Man. ii, 202.— Ghay, Gen. of B. iii, 633.- SciiL., Mus. P.-B. livr. 

 ix, 34.— SuND., Svensk. Fogl. pi. 54.— Sw. & Rich., F. B. A. ii, 1831, 410.— Xutt., 

 Man. ii, 1834, 250.- Bi-., Svn. 1828,417; List, 1838, 65.— Aud., Orn. Biog. iii, 

 1835, 598, pi. 292; Syu. 1839, 356; B. Am. vii, 1844, 308, pi. 479.— Gut., B. 

 L. I. 1844, 383.— Lawij., B. N. A. 1858, 893 ; Ann. Lye. N. Y. viil, 1866, 300.— 

 COTJE.S, Pr. Phila. Acad. 1H62, 230.— Coop. & SrcK., N. H. Wash. Ter. 1^60, 

 280.— BoARDM., Pr. Bo.st. Soc. ix. 18G2, 131 (Maine, breeding).- Coies, Pr. Ess. 

 Inst. V, 1868, 310.— TiRNR., B. E. Pa. 1869, 39 ("uot uncommon").— CouES, Key, 

 1872, 336; and of authors generally. 



Loplxtirlhi/ia crifilat<(, Kaup, Sk. Ent. Eur. Thierw. 1829, 72. 



Coli/mhus urinator, LiXN., Syst. Nat. i, 1766, 223. 



CnhimbuH cornutus, Pall., Zoog. R.-A. ii, 1811, 353. (Not of Gmelin.) 



(?) I'odircpH auatralis, Gould. — Diggles, Orn. Aust. pt. xx, pi. — . 



I'odircps loiigirontrls, Bp. 



I'odiri'pK mitratufi et pataijiatux, BitEinr, Y. D. 9.53, 9.54. 



(?) I'odiccps hrtori, Biller, Ess. Orn. N. Zeal. 19.— HuTTOX, B. N. Zeal. 1871, 39. (See 

 FiNscii, Ibis, lH(i9, 3-'0.) 



"Fodicciht u-idhalmi, Gohel, J. f. O. qviii, 1870, 312." 



Adult, breedinff plumage. — Crown and long occi^iital crests glossy black ; terminal half 

 of the long ruff tin; same, the basal jiart bright reddi.sh-browu, fading gradually into 

 ]>ure silky-white of the throat aud sides of head. Superciliary and loral line wliite, 

 more or less tinged with fulvous. Neck beliind and gcneial upper parts dark brown, 

 file feathers of tlic back with gray margins. I'riuiaries deep chocolate-brown, with 

 black shafts, the tips of the inner ones white, as are all the secondaries and long 

 humeral feathers, excei)ting a little part of the outer webs of the former. Inner webs 

 oif greater wing-coverts white, outer chocolate-brown; lesser coverts wholly brown. 

 Under ]>urts pure silky white, without a trace of tlie dusky mottling seen in /'. grixei- 

 goKi: tJK^ sides of the neck and body tinged with reddish aud mixed with dusky on 

 the Hanks, where also the feathers have blackish shat't-liues. "Hill in life blaekish- 

 brown, tinged wii h earmiiie ; bare lural space and i-yelids <liisky grt-en ; iris caiiniue ; 

 feet; grei nisii-black ; webs grayish-blue." 



l7JHir/)«ioH«.— Length, 24; extent, 33; wing, 7; bill along ciilnieu, 2; along gapo, 

 2.70; height at nostrils, 0.50; tarsus 2..50 ; midiUe toe and claw, 2 65. 



IT((I). — North Amciica generally. Europe, and vaiioiis other parts of the Old \Yorld. 



